Ex-PM sentence upheld by court

A UKRANIAN court upheld the conviction and seven-year jail sentence for former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko yesterday, despite claims it is politcally motivated.

Tymoshenko was found guilty of abuse of office in October and sentenced to prison for overstepping her authority while negotiating a natural gas contract with Russia in 2009.

The United States and the European Union have criticised the jailing.